And now for the speech.For two weeks, Gov. Bruce Rauner has gone around the state outlining the problems he said face Illinois and for which he said he will offer detailed solutions in his State of the State message.He'll have that chance Wednesday when he addresses a joint session of the state House and Senate and has the opportunity to lay out his vision for Illinois' future.It will be his first speech before a joint session of the General Assembly, and the pressure...

ROCKFORD — Freeport’s steady march upward in the NIC-10 stopped when the Pretzels neared the summit.Freeport entered the weekend with six wins in seven games, with a two-point loss to Boylan the only blemish, but was routed...

RIVER RIDGE — Brenden Dauphin scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead River Ridge to a 52-50 comeback win against Eastland in Saturday’s basketball game.Eastland led 38-34 after three quarters. Behind...

FREEPORT — Heather Cornelius, a Freeport High School computer-aided design teacher, last year saw promise in one of her students, Scott Larson. With some connections she had made over the years, she was able to help him land a summer...

MOUNT CARROLL — The next meeting of the Carroll County 4-H Foundation will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Extension office meeting room, 807D South Clay St.The meeting is open to anyone who would like to attend.For information:...

This coming Wednesday, the city will host an open house and community gathering at Freeport Public Library about the city’s Riverfront Renewal Project. There will be two sessions: the first begins with an open house at 5 p.m. followed by...